Amazon Music’s Alex Nutton talks Kylie exclusive and ‘incredible experience’ in Christmas chart race
Kylie Minogue is back at No.1 again in her long chart career – this time it’s the reissued Kylie Christmas album at the summit.
Originally released in 2015, peaking at No.12, the Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped) edition via Rhino has become her 11th UK No.1 album with opening consumption of 23,279 units (Official Charts Company), including 10,125 CDs, 9,510 vinyl albums, 1,441 cassettes, 1,057 digital downloads and 1,146 sales-equivalent streams. That puts Minogue level with David Bowie, Eminem and Rod Stewart in the league of artists with the most UK Number 1 albums.
Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped) also topped the vinyl chart, as well as the Official Record Store Chart, as the most popular album in UK independent record shops in the past week.
With the focus now shifting to the Christmas No.1 single, Amazon Music is aiming for a strong result with its exclusive Kylie track, XMAS, released via Parlophone in conjunction with the reissue of the expanded festive album. In the Official Charts Company’s First Look chart with BBC Radio 1, Minogue’s single has taken an early lead.
The single moved 24-16 last week with consumption up 25.3% at 21,946 units. While it was eclipsed by Wham!’s No.1 Last Christmas and other festive tracks, Minogue’s single is not subject to ACR as a new release which gives it a better shot at No.1. Classic Christmas songs need double the streams under chart rules to register the same volume of units as current hits by Minogue, Olivia Dean and Raye.
However, Amazon Originals are exclusive to their streaming platform – with the exception of YouTube for videos – which does place a limit on consumption. On Spotify, for example, XMAS is not included on the Kylie Christmas Fully Wrapped. Even for physical music buyers, the track is only available on limited edition Amazon exclusive.
There’s now a big push for the Amazon Original track, with limited edition vinyl and signed CD versions of XMAS and a video released on Friday (December 12). Minogue performed XMAS on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday (December 14), while her Jingle Bell Ball performance from earlier this month was also televised at the weekend.
Amazon Music is building up a stable of festive favourites with an additional Top 40 hit this week for Gwen Stefani’s Shake The Snow Globe.
The streaming giant had a strong result last year with Tom Grennan’s It Can’t Be Christmas peaking at No.3, while Sam Ryder’s 2023 song You’re Christmas To Me made No.2. Amazon did reach No.1 with Ellie Goulding’s River in 2019 although that was after the official Christmas No.1.
Here, Alex Nutton, principal, label relations at Amazon Music UK, reveals their streaming strategy for Kylie’s XMAS and how their Amazon Originals initiative has become a Christmas tradition…
Kylie Minogue’s XMAS has made the Top 20 and could go much higher on the Christmas week chart. How have you achieved the chart success with this Amazon Music Original at a busy time for festive music? What initiatives and activations have helped the track to cut through?
“XMAS is featured across many of our Christmas music stations and playlists as well as other relevant editorial placements, including our Brand New Music playlist and Feeling Happy Radio, which helps to ensure maximum visibility. Strong playlisting combined with the high volume of music fans heading to Amazon Music to request XMAS, has significantly contributed to the song’s chart success to date.
“On the activation side, we collaborated closely with Kylie and her team on an exclusive fan event in London (December 12). The event gave a handful of lucky fans the chance to view the music video before anyone else, as well as an exclusive Q&A with Kylie, creating an elevated and memorable experience for her fans.”
In what ways has Kylie been able to support the track?
“Working with Kylie has been an incredible experience from day one. The track has served as the centrepiece of her latest album campaign for Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped), and it has been fantastic to see her speak so enthusiastically about it, including demonstrating the dance routine for XMAS across numerous radio and TV interviews. A standout moment of the campaign for me was seeing the track performed live at the Jingle Bell Ball, and the amazing reception it got from the crowds at the O2 arena.
“The official music video was released on Friday on YouTube and will be available in the Amazon Music app. Throughout the campaign Kylie has supported the track across social media posts, TV performances, radio interviews, and much more, with plenty more to come in the run up to the Christmas number one announcement.”
How did you work with the label on this release – particularly as there is now an updated edition of Kylie’s Christmas album?
“Given the popularity of Christmas music with Amazon Music customers, the label was keen to work with us on this very special campaign. The moment we first heard Kylie’s XMAS we were totally blown away and couldn’t get it out of our heads. We’ve worked closely with the label to create an exclusive version of the album for Amazon customers which features XMAS, alongside all the other tracks.”
How have you built on the previous campaigns from the likes of Sam Ryder and Tom Grennan. What were the lessons from those campaigns?
“For me, the big learning is that our customers really love brand new Christmas songs, alongside their festive favourites. We’ve demonstrated significant investment and promotional support in commissioning new Christmas tracks these past few years and hope these will prove popular with customers for many years to come.
“The team works throughout the year on our Christmas campaigns, from identifying the right artists through to delivery, working hand-in-hand with artist, label and management teams every step of the way. We also recognise that we’re only part of the success story here, ultimately we’re fortunate to be working with some of the most popular artists in the world who create incredible music that resonates with music fans.”
How can you engage with fans outside the Amazon Music ecosystem to help drive chart success? How key is YouTube to the chart campaign?
“Fans can listen to the track in a number of ways, from the Amazon Music app, to watching the video on YouTube, to purchasing the CD or vinyl. Physical music continues to play an important role in chart performance, and Kylie fans can buy or pre-order a variety of exclusive album and single editions on both CD and vinyl via our retail site, as well as directly from Kylie’s artist store. On YouTube we set up a teaser counting down until the video’s release – building hype for the fanbase.
“We should also recognise the role of radio airplay in driving awareness, with Kylie’s radio promotion team securing exceptional support across all key stations. The official music video, released on Friday (December 12) in the week running up to the Christmas chart being announced, provides another important boost to the track’s chart performance.”
The moment we first heard Kylie’s XMAS we were totally blown away and couldn’t get it out of our heads
Alex Nutton
The track has moved into the UK airplay Top 20. What has the reaction been from radio?
“We’ve had a really strong reaction from radio right from the start of the campaign. The track had its first play on the BBC Radio 2 Scott Mills breakfast show upon release in November and due to the strength of the track and Kylie’s brilliant promo team, we’ve seen incredible support across all the key stations.”
How international is the reach for Kylie’s XMAS beyond the UK?
“As you’d expect the track is proving incredibly popular with our customers both inside and outside of the UK. The top five listening territories we’re seeing for consumption outside of the UK in the last seven days are the US, Germany, Italy and Mexico.”
Kylie is the latest Christmas hit for Amazon, how are you helping to create festive perennials in partnership with artists?
“A great Christmas track has the power to stand the test of time. When commissioning these songs, our goal is always to create a new holiday favourite that customers will return to year after year. We have released numerous Holiday Originals over the years and we continue to support them beyond their release year, ensuring that customers can discover and enjoy these new works for many seasons to come.”
What are your hopes for a No.1 result this Christmas?
“This is right at the top of my personal Christmas wish list! But we all know it’s one of the most fiercely competitive chart weeks of the year, so we’ll all have to wait until December 19th to see!”
